How Do You Find Time To Read?

How do you find time to read?

How Do You Find Time To Read? A Question I Regularly Get Asked.

I love books. I couldn’t imagine a world without books and escaping into different worlds and stories. But a question I regularly get asked is how do I find time to read? Last year I read 41 books. Which if you wish to know the maths equates to 0.8 books per week. So nearly a book per week. This is up on 2014’s 31 – in fairness I had a baby that year.

Yes, hands up, I keep a list of the books I read, it’s a bit of a compulsion, but also I have bought the same book twice more than once as I wasn’t sure if I had read it before. So it’s easier this way. But if I’m being honest, I’m just geeky and like having a list and knowing how many books I have read.

Prior to children I read a lot more. At my peak, when I worked in London and commuted on the train, about 150 books per year. When I switched jobs and drove to work 70-80 books a year. As I say I like reading… a lot.

Now, I have a 4 year old and a one year old, for which I am the main carer as my husband works full time. I run this blog and a small home business. The free time I have to myself is pretty limited. I only really get time read in the day on holiday now.

But reading, reading is my ‘me time’. Something I absolutely love. I actually think I might go a bit stir crazy if I didn’t have that time. Like the creative, imaginative part of me, might wither away.

So how do I do it? It’s simple, because it’s important to me I make time for it. Every night when I go to bed I always read before I turn the light out. On average it’s about ten minutes a day, some days it’s an hour, some days I am so tired I only manage two pages before I find my eyes closing and the book unceremoniously falls out of my hands with a thump. But even if it is two pages, two pages is better than nothing. There have been some nights when my husband has said – you’re so tired are you really going to read tonight? To which I will answer yes, those two or ten pages they’re for me and they’re important.

Ok, it wasn’t always this easy when I had a tiny baby with reflux (see 31 books in 2014). But even then I worked out that with a Kindle I could breastfeed with one hand and read with the other. Not so much in the day when my toddler was about, but in the evenings I managed to get my fix that way. It also doesn’t happen when my children are sick or something happens. But day to day I try I preserve those ten or even if I can manage it thirty minutes.

So tell me what do you try to do each day for you?


I am linking this post up to The Mumington Post’s January Give Me a Yay linky.

Domesticated Momster

32 thoughts on “How Do You Find Time To Read?”

  1. Really impressed that you manage to read so many books! Before I had Piglet I always had a book on the go. If I knew then how long I would be spending breastfeeding I would have bought myself a kindle. Recently I’ve stopped reading books at all, which I’m sad about, but I’m trying to spend every spare moment on my blog at the moment, as I work full time so like most of us the only time I get is after the little one has gone to bed. Definitely need to make some time to read as well!

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    • Oh you should even if you just say two nights a week, it’s better than nothing and if you can afford to, definitely invest in a Kindle Paperwhite

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  2. That was a good read.

    I have a long commute so that’s generally my reading time. I haven’t read as many books as usual as my attention has shifted to blogs but I still devour comics on my phone and in the evenings before bed.

    When I read I like to be fully immersed and I can’t comfortably do that with one ear on the baby monitor and the background noise of television so I shifted to a former better suited for short reading chunks.

    As the kids get older I’m able to introduce them to things we can enjoy together like old fashioned fairy tales and old classics so very different from their popular version (hi Mary Poppins!).

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    • Thank you, yes I cannot wait to introduce my children to fairy tales and the likes of Roald Dahl and Harry Potter. I have found a way to drown out background noise I think it’s essential when you have children.

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  3. I love how you make time to read 🙂 I should do this because I love reading and I just don’t make time for it anymore which I know is a real shame. To make time to read will be an aim for me this year, I do miss it loads.

    Gemma xx

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  4. I’ve really struggled Laura to balance reading/relaxing with feeling sick and sleeping and being a mum and blogging. I have since Christmas started to have an hour of tv a day because I gave it up for almost a year and need something to relax to. I’m going to do some reading in the hospital when i have my operation too and I mainly read with Sylvia kids books but also try to read non fiction which is my favourite. Angela x

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    • Non fiction is my favourite too and I know what it’s like blogging can totally take over- but you need quiet me time too I hope you manage to fit in some books this year x

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  5. I think you have given me the solution: I just need to fit it into my daily routine. I love reading, I always have a pile of books ready to move onto the next one. I think I wrote this once before somewhere, I really regret not reading while H was breastfeeding. It was the perfect time. Instead I whiled it away on the internet on my phone, or just stared at her!
    Well done on reading so many books xx

    Reply
    • Yes that’s it really finding a small amount of time in your daily time even just ten minutes – you can do that and then delve into all of those lovely books waiting for you.

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  6. Wow! Just wow. I am massively impressed and a little ashamed to say I haven’t even managed a whole book this year. I spend far too much time blogging but I really do intend on changing. x

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    • Blogging really can take over – I know it. But I think a small amount of down time is important too -I am sure you can do it Kate – maybe try audiobooks?

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  7. It’s great that you make time to read as it’s obviously very important to you. I love reading too and used to reads lots of books before children. I should make more time for it now. While my son is napping I sometimes listen to audio books so I can do other things (like make dinner) at the same time! x

    Reply
    • I like audiobooks too and used to listen to them driving about, but my son complains when I do now. They were also great when I had insomnia when I was pregnant, just helped me just de-stress a little.

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  8. I used to read voraciously. I even posted about it here: http://modern-moms-life.blogspot.ca/2015/09/do-you-find-time-to-read-voracious.html

    Now I’m like you and try to fit in at least that before bed read. My husband is the exact same: “You’re so tired, why are you reading and not sleeping?” He doesn’t get it, he’s not a reader. Nice to hear you are managing to read and carve out that little bit of time for yourself every day. Well done! 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks Jessica. I think it is so, so important. My husband is a reader too which helps and we both get out our kindles at bedtime, but he wouldn’t read if he was tired. He would just go to sleep.

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  9. I do the same as you and read most nights for at least a couple of pages before going to sleep. It’s something I enjoy and fell out of the habit of doing. I also ‘meditate’ every morning and as we only have a two bedroom flat, one living space, I get up by 5.30 am most days even though my son doesn’t wake up until 7.30 or 8 am. I need that alone time and space even just for 10 minutes to feel rooted and I find that it sets me up for the day. If I don’t get that time to myself in the morning my husband notices and will ask if I did! I don’t do this ‘new age’ meditating but I just simply concentrate on my breathing for 10 minutes or so and then pray. Funny really as I never thought of myself as a morning person but it turns out I’m hugely productive then!

    Reply
    • I have never really tried much meditation, but my husband finds it helps him. But the habit of reading every night is one that is really important to me and try to keep it up for my own sanity. And also I am amazed at your 5.30 am start I so couldn’t manage that!

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    • Oh that’s handy I work from home, and look after the children so not much chance of that for me. But that is a nice way for you to fit it in.

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  10. Great post! I do a lot of “reading” via audiobooks nowadays. I commute to work and drive around a lot for my job so I get my reading done through my ears.

    I think it is so important to take time each day even if it is just for 10 minutes to do something for you!

    #momsterslink

    Reply
    • I used to listen to audiobooks when I commuted to work too, I really used to enjoy them, not so easy now I don’t drive to work and always have kids in the car. But a great way to fit in some ‘reading’

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  11. Woooow, I envy your reading abilities! I probably read about one a month. I get most of my reading done in the bath..I get a good hour in that way. It is impossible to read in the day with a toddler, I completely agree. Great post and happy reading xx

    Reply
    • I have never really got into reading in the bath, probably because I am not really a bath lady. But I know a lot of people enjoy reading in the bath.

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  12. I’ve always read and thoroughly enjoy it. I’ve set myself a 52 book challenge this year so we will see! I tend to do my reading just before bed too every night and if I don’t I struggle to nod off which is strange really

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  13. I have just discovered your blog and I love it! I am a HUGE bookworm but find it hard to find the time to read as much s I would love. I love keeping track of the books I read through Goodreads and last year I read 34 books. I average between 30 and 40 books per year. I have just started my maternity leave with my first baby due in 2 weeks so I am not sure yet how its going to affect my reading! xx

    Reply
    • Aww Rachel thank you for your lovely comment! If baby hasn’t arrived yet I would highly recommend a kindle for when he/she arrives much easier to manage with a baby – I will stop by your blog and have a read x

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  14. I have a similar thing – I commute at the moment which is about 4-5 hours a day, so plenty of reading time there! I’m aware that when the baby is born/I’m not travelling so much I’ll struggle to fit it all in. I like the idea of breastfeeding with a Kindle in one hand, I shall have to try that!

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  15. I used to read a lot of books until I started blogging…now I read a lot of blogs. As for what I do for myself everyday…these days it’s working out…even if it’s 20 minutes of a workout disc I pop into the DVD player. It’s become almost a necessity and I get grumpy if it doesn’t happen. Thanks so much for linking up with #momsterslink! Hope to see you again in 14 hours :))
    ????Trista

    Reply

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